Tuesday, December 27, 2011

I'm not that excited about having to go to overtime to beat Winthrop, but I'll take it. Georgia can't afford a loss during this stretch of the season.

I wouldn't call Winthrop a "cupcake." They have some players. But they don't have the depth and physicality that Georgia will face during the SEC portion of the schedule. Wins now are critical.

Proud of Nemi. Great game. Seventeen points, nine boards. That's the kind of production we need from one of the bigs. Of course, I would like to see more scoring from in the paint, because we can't get it done relying on behind the arc shooting. But if Nemi is hot, let him shoot it and see what happens.

By the way, I'm not down on our post players. They are not ready for big production right now, but they can run the floor, and key to their future progress, they can catch the ball. A lot of big men never get to score because they can't make clean catches. By the time you fumble the ball, recover and get your feet set, it's too late.

So if Georgia's post players take their current skills and get physical enough to grab some rebounds and score off of put-backs, then that would be a huge contribution. Joakim Noah made it to the pro's doing just that, beating other players down the floor and getting easy baskets. John Cannon, Donte Williams and John Florveus should take a page from Noah, get in absolute top physical condition, and take advantage of the rotation that Fox will use now that Marcus Thornton is out with an injury.

By the time next year rolls around, Georgia could have a stable of big guys to insert into the game when needed.

As for the Winthrop contest, we got balanced scoring, clutch shots and escaped with a win. Let's build some momentum.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

We beat Mercer the way that good teams do. We ratcheted up the defensive pressure in the second half. We took the ball to the basket and got their big man in foul trouble. We started hitting a few free throws. We got reasonably balanced scoring.

Make no mistake about it. Mercer has a good team. They are well coached. in fact, I wish we had a couple of their big guys. But the development of their center indicates that it can be done. If you start with size and athleticism and coach up footwork and a strong jump hook, you might end up with a center that really contributes.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

USC isn't very good, but that will be offset somewhat by the fact that the Dawgs are playing out west. Of course, Georgia hasn't played well either, but I think Fox and the hounds will benefit from the break they have had and finally play decently in the second half.

Think that Gerald Robinson will get going early again and Dustin Ware will hit free throws late.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Note: I couldn't get the link to work correctly, so I pasted the article below.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – On a winter day in 2010, Tim Tebow sat alone in a hotel meeting room with Ken Herock, a former NFL general manager who tutors players on how to approach important team meetings at the NFL scouting combine. The topic was a perception among NFL teams that Tebow was successful in college only because of the University of Florida’s offensive system, a notion upheld by the failure of Alex Smith to thrive in the NFL after having played for Tebow’s coach, Urban Meyer, when Meyer was at Utah.More From Les Carpenter

AdChoicesAt 7-1 as a starter for the Broncos this season, Tim Tebow is the toast of the NFL world.(Getty Images)

“A lot of people are comparing you to Alex Smith because you run the same offense … ” Herock started when Tebow suddenly cut him off.

“Now hold on there, Mr. Herock,” Tebow said. “That’s where the comparisons end. I won the Heisman Trophy. I won a national championship two times.”

He said it not with arrogance, although the words could have been parsed that way, but rather with an assuredness Tebow rarely reveals in his public interviews. It is the kind of thing the Denver Broncos see all the time, the reason many of the team’s assistant coaches have come to love his determination and players faithfully follow him into games they now believe they can win. It’s perhaps why the Broncos are 7-1 since Tebow became the starting quarterback.

“He has a passion about himself, he’s very confident,” Broncos general manager Brian Xanders said.

[ Related: Broncos in Week 15 playoff projection ]

The temptation is to look at Tebow’s serene smiles in news conferences, watch him shrug shyly at questions about his abilities, listen to him talk about Jesus and think he is a man who plays football simply to spread the word of the Bible. The image is of a marginally skilled player who believes the Lord will slice holes in the defense or find a way to get a receiver open downfield.

And yet inside the Broncos’ complex, conversations about Tebow go on for half an hour without a mention of God or religion or their most famous player’s spirituality. The talk is instead about a man who is driven, who arrives early in the morning and leaves long after most of his teammates have departed. In college Tebow was famous for declarations of hard work but that seemed more about lifting weights and running sprints. Now that he is in the NFL, his diligence is in improving his throwing and studying opponents. The phrase most often attributed to him is not about God but rather, “Tell me how I can get better.”

Want a reason the Broncos are in first place in the AFC West with what amounts to a two-game lead over the Oakland Raiders? It is Tebow’s obsessive preparation.

The hour doesn’t matter. It could be 9 p.m., maybe 10, but at some point every night the phone of Broncos quarterbacks coach Adam Gase will ring and Tim Tebow will be on the line.

“I’ve been watching film,” Tebow will say. Then a string of questions: What happens if a defensive player moves a certain way? How should he go? And what about the receivers? Are there other options?

Quietly, Tebow has dazzled the Broncos coaches with his deep understanding of complex offenses. When he showed up to the team’s suite for his interview with the staff at last year’s combine, he immediately rattled off the principles of his offense at Florida. But then he launched into Norv Turner’s digit system as well as the Patriots’ offense, which the Broncos were also using. The coaches were stunned. How had he learned all this?Broncos QB coach Adam Gase gets a regular phone call from Tim Tebow, who wants to talk shop.(Getty Images)

He watched lots of video at Florida, he told them. While other players went out at night, he loaded films of various offenses in his computer and studied and studied and studied until they were locked in his memory.

“That part of it was very unique to me,” said Gase, who has been with two other NFL teams as an assistant. “I never heard of a college guy who would know so much about offenses outside of college.”

Yes, Herock said, when told about this. He knew.

“I’ll tell you what probably happened,” Herock said. “His agent, Jimmy Sexton, probably told him which teams would want to talk to him at the combine. And he probably said, ‘What kind of questions are they going to ask me?’ Then he went and studied all of their offenses so he knew them really well.”

For instance, when Tebow first appeared at the Senior Bowl amid much criticism over his throwing motion, he shocked the Miami Dolphins coaching staff that had been assigned to coach his team that week by regurgitating their entire offense for them.

[* Yahoo! Sports Radio: Dan Wetzel’s weekly football podcast]

“I guarantee you that offense they are running there in Denver now, he put a lot of it in,” Herock said. “I bet he has a lot of input on what they are running up there.”

Because head coach John Fox retained most of the offensive coaches from Josh McDaniels’ staff last year, the Broncos kept the same offense. Inserted in that was the “Tebow Package,” which mostly consisted of option and Wildcat plays best suited to take advantage of Tebow’s running ability. When Fox made Tebow the starting quarterback in October, the offensive coaches took the Tebow Package and made it central to their attack, adding new wrinkles every week. The ease with which they made such an extreme transition from a passing to running team, they said, was because Tebow worked so hard to learn new plays, asking endless questions and suggesting what to add.

“He prepares extremely hard as far as his film study and the time he spends with [offensive coordinator] Mike McCoy,” Gase said. “He’s working every angle that he can. Asking everything. ‘What about my footwork? What about when I am under center? What do I do here?’ ”

Tim Tebow's lowest QB rating as a starter this season happened in Week 8 against the Lions, when he posted a 56.8. His highest QB rating happened against the Vikings in Week 13, when he had a 149.3.(US Presswire)

Nothing is more important than footwork. This is where the Broncos coaches believe Tebow will thrive next. Last year they left a six-hour, pre-draft visit with the quarterback in Gainesville, Fla., amazed at how he had blown away all other quarterbacks’ scores on a list of qualities they deemed essential. These included: loving the game, competitiveness, leadership, arm strength, understanding offenses, an ability to avoid pass rushes, resilience and composure. They were convinced if they could work on his accuracy and footwork he would come to be seen as a great draft pick.

And so this year it is Gase, who coached receivers last season, spending hours with Tebow on the practice field working on how he steps back from center – something he rarely did at Florida – and throws the ball. For 30 minutes before every practice and 30 minutes afterward, they work on gliding back and stepping forward.

“Everything has to do with his feet,” Gase said. “Before, his body was going in one direction and his arm was going in another direction. As we get him more balanced, his throws become smoother and more accurate.”

What they couldn’t have understood before they drafted him was how much he would practice this. “He’s taken thousands of [extra] reps,” Gase said. When practice turns to defensive drills and the other offensive players rest, Tebow grabs a ball and begins working on his backpedaling, repeating each new technique until it starts to feel natural.

“He’s improved a lot the last few weeks,” Gase said, pointing to throws Tebow made in the Broncos’ last two wins he probably couldn’t have made only a few weeks earlier when the Broncos were merely running an option attack with few passes.

“He’s becoming a much better NFL quarterback,” Fox said. “I think that little variance was to get us to this point. You can’t be one-dimensional in this league. Everybody catches up with that. People are doing different things to stop our running game but they are opening up things in our passing.”

When you talk to Tebow alone, in a back hallway of the Broncos’ practice facility, away from the stampede of cameras that often surround him, you find him to be goofy. It’s not an awkward goofiness, but more of a silliness. He laughs a lot, even when discussing serious things. Third-string quarterback Adam Weber, the man who has a locker next to Tebow’s both at the practice facility and at the stadium, said Tebow is effusive before games, bouncing around the locker room, calling encouragement to teammates in a buildup of energy that seems almost ready to explode onto the field.

“Then he flips a switch,” Gase said.

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And Tebow is suddenly calm. Around the Broncos they find this unique, even in a sport where players are required to channel different intensity on and off the field. This, they say, is how he manages to pull the offense together, making some of his best runs and throws late in games.

On Sunday, when the Broncos emerged from their deepest abyss yet in pulling out an overtime victory over the Chicago Bears, Case walked up to Tebow on the sideline and said with a coach’s anxiety, “Why do we have to do it this way every time?”

Tebow smiled tranquilly and said, “We have time.”

“That’s the beauty of him,” Gase said. “There’s a calmness and a composure when the game is tight. He’s smart with the football.”

“I definitely think you have to have an edge,” Tebow said this week as he stood outside the Broncos’ locker room. One of his favorite things to read is a book of quotations put together by a strength and conditioning coach he worked with that contains the words “The Edge” in the title. The coach loaned it to Tebow years ago and the quarterback refuses to return it despite pleas that he does.

“Technically, I stole it,” Tebow said.

It is in this pilfered manuscript where Tebow finds some of his inspiration.

“I think the way that you train should have an edge,” Tebow said. “And the way you work out should have an edge.”

He was asked about the perception that because he speaks so much about his faith and seems so serene on the field that he might not have to prepare diligently. He laughed.

“It’s unfortunate, but a lot of people do think Christians have to be soft,” he said. “But the man we are following is the toughest of all time in Jesus Christ. You have to go through obstacles and adversity. That’s what provides endurance for the future.” Then Tebow paused for a moment.

“God has everything in his hands but he also says, ‘Do unto the Lord with all your heart,’ ” he continued. “Just because you are a Christian, God doesn’t want you … not be the hardest worker. It’s just the opposite. He wants you to work harder.”

And so he does. And so he arrives early in the morning and goes home in the evening with tapes of not just the Broncos’ offense and their opponent’s defense but of players he would like to emulate (“I’ve seen thousands of cuts of Tom Brady,” he said this week). All of it in a diligent preparation to become the quarterback he believes he is. All of it to justify those words spoken on that winter day when asked what he thought of the player who ran the same college offense but had until then been considered a major risk …

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

I saw that courtcred.com has a video of the entire SW Dekalb vs. Wheeler game.

Charles Mitchell did a nice job. He went head to head with Shaq Goodwin and Mitchell put up 24 points with 11 boards. Mitchell has pretty good touch and a big body. As I have said before, he reminds me of Jeremy Price.

Since Georgia desperately needs a low post scorer, I'd like to see the Dawgs sign Mitchell. Let's get it done.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Great article from the Red and Black on Jarod Mainland and his relationship with Connor Nolte.

Jarod needed a lift to his spirits after undergoing surgery and treatment for his brain cancer. Connor Nolte, having suffered a broken nose and other injuries was the perfect person to connect with Jarod.

I hadn't realized that we were the poorest shooting and lowest scoring team in the SEC. We may have played some tougher teams than others, but Georgia Tech is no world-beater on defense, and I think we lowered our shooting percentage against them.

Just in case the story linked above is ever removed, I quote below just a portion of the article. How did UGA manage to lose to Tech at home? Here's how:

"Adding to the home team's frustration, their defense was unable to hold off Georgia Tech big men Daniel Miller and Kammeon Holsey, forcing them to go zone and opening the door for the Jackets outside game, which also worked.

The combination resulted in a 68-56 victory for Georgia Tech (5-4).

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Yellow Jackets and was the first in 14 tries at Stegeman Coliseum, ending a 35-year drought there.

"We just wanted to make them shoot over us," said Tech Head Coach Brian Gregory, who was six years old the last time the Yellow Jackets emerged from Stegeman with a win, back in 1976. "Our defense right now is one guy guards the ball and four guys cover. In the first half it was too much one-on-one defensively. In the second half the guys did a better job of helping out."

Georgia (4-5) lost its fourth straight game and second in a row at home. The Bulldogs made only 8 of 26 shots (30.8 percent) in the second half and hit only 17 for 49 for the game (34.7) percent for the game, while making only six of 23 three-point attempts (26.1 percent)."

"Their defense in the second half was better than our offense," said Georgia Head Coach Mark Fox. "Our interior play is very poor right now. We're not getting any interior scoring and so we're settling for outside shots and that is an issue with our team right now."

The struggles on the interior led to the domination of Tech bigs Daniel Miller and Kammeon Holsey, who combined for 22 points on 11-for-14 shooting and keyed a 34-14 edge in points in the paint.

"It's just getting it done in the post," said Miller, who got it done on both ends, as he had a game-high nine rebounds and four blocked shots — one more than the entire UGA team. "The men were guarding behind us and I'm playing really well with Kam right now."

"It was getting the ball inside, knowing they can't guard us one-on-one," said Holsey, who was 6-for-9 from the field. "Just making quick moves and decisive moves."

We can't score inside, and we are getting dominated by Daniel Miller. Karma.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

At home, no less. Hard to admit it, but we're worse than I thought we would be. We can still improve, obviously. The problem is that we have so far to go.

We lost 68 to 56. Nobody shot particularly well, with the exception of Gerald Robinson. The most telling stat was the lack of production from our big men. Four points from our post players on 2 of 11 shooting. A total of 77 minutes between five players. Just 14 boards between them.

Daniel Miller was the difference in this game. Guy shot 5 of 5 from the floor. Had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Would be nice to have him in a Georgia uniform. If Fox came in three years ago and as one of his first official acts sort of showed Miller the door, he surely regrets it now. It was a mistake then, in my opinion, because Miller was a 6' 11" guy with a big frame and good fundamentals. Coordinated. High academics and a good team player. All he needed was strength and conditioning and enough time to get used to the competition. Besides Miller's stature and upside potential, my opinion on the Miller scholarship was that it was an institutional integrity issue. In other words, UGA should have honored its commitment to Miller and his family, despite the fact that Coach Felton was let go.

Enough on that topic.

I don't think we game-planned well for tonight's contest. Have no idea why we didn't start the game with the press. They only had one legitimate point guard available. The one time that we did go to a press we got a turnover and a bucket.

I also disagree with Fox on his substitution patterns. He seems to pull guys just when they're getting in a rhythm. Guys are used to playing a lot of basketball. They have enough stamina. Let'em play until it's obvious they need a blow or until they're not shooting well any longer.

Another suggestion is that we need to get some other plays. We run the triangle exclusively. Instead of playing to drive the ball to the basket, we run players off of screens to shoot threes. We don't have good catch and shoot guys, though. There is no Ricky McPhee this year. We need to emphasize a couple of isolation plays so that Robinson and Caldwell-Pope can take their guys off the dribble.

Once again right at 50 percent of our shots were three-pointers. That is not a winning strategy. Certainly not when we're making only one of four from behind the arc. They attempted 12 three-pointers to our 23. They adjusted at half-time and once again we did not.

We're 4 and 5 on the year and I'm not sure we have the horses to be competitive in the SEC. Trying to stay upbeat but to lose by double figures at home to Tech is hard to swallow.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I really enjoyed the story about Keana Berkhalter. She plays for her high school hoops team and persevered through the awful experience of not having anyone to take care of her. Keana's grades began to slip and her high school coach noticed the tears flowing as the holidays approached.

A year later, Keana has brought her grades back up, she is part of a loving family and she will complete her high school career as class valedictorian.

Thanks to all the wonderful foster and adoptive parents who like Keana's coach open their homes and hearts to children in need.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Georgia could have won the game against Colorado. We lost by two, 70 to 68.

They got some home-cooking, sure, but it seemed like Colorado made all the great effort plays down the stretch.

We also fell in love with the three-pointers. Wasn't an issue when we were making them in the first half, but during the second half, the shots just weren't going down. That's when you have to manufacture points through going to the line.

They went to the basket and we hoisted up jumpers. Hate to repeat comments from other game recaps, but shot selection is the biggest reason why they got to the free throw line time and time again, and we hardly saw it at all.

To our credit, we played until the final buzzer, and the team did look better as a general rule.

Still scared at what the SEC portion of the schedule will look like. Let's keep improving and see how things turn out. Maybe we can bag a surprise recruit or attract a transfer. Be nice to have some good news while the team is working through early season issues.

Hardly worth a post. Just doesn't do much for me. Hard to get fired up about the game. Of course, I definitely don't want to lose to them. It's just sort of anti-climatic when we win.

Their coach is definitely not happy. Scowling on the sidelines. Mark Richt, class all the way, gracious in victory.

I will say this, however. If Georgia Tech ever gets a really good running back like the guy that used to play for Georgia Southern (Peterson?) and a dual threat quarterback, then look out. They don't need Tim Tebow or Cam Newton. Just someone big enough to take a hit and talented enough to throw reasonably accurate passes.

Then I'll get worried. As for now, I'll just enjoy Georgia's victory until this time next year.

Friday, November 25, 2011

They put in their scrubs against us and we still lost by 14. I appreciate the team making it look respectable, though. John Cannon made some nice plays.

Fox really does have to teach his players when to shoot the three. He might try instituting a rule that you can't shoot from behind the arc until you take it to the basket at least once, get a steal, or get a rebound.

As it stood, once again almost half of our shots were three-pointers. When we miss, they get long rebounds and go on the fast break and either convert or get fouled. They ran their offense and got shots right underneath the basket. We've got to do the same. Run the offense. At the very least, we should make their guys run through screens. They'll get tired as the possession continues and somebody will be open. We shot 26 threes and they shot 8. That to me was the story of the game.

I predicted a Georgia win. I guess I was too much of a homer to do otherwise. It was more wishful thinking than any kind of analysis, but I thought we might be able to play them tough. Even if I knew deep down that Georgia would only be so successful at their place, I had no idea we would look so bad on national t.v. again. Shot 32 percent from the floor, 26 percent from deep.

Still a homer, just a frustrated one. Let's bounce back and win the next one.

We are shooting terribly from the field, and half of our shots are three-pointers. If we're not shooting at least in the 30 percent range from behind the arc, we should run the offense and try to get closer to the basket.

We can't score 20 points in an entire half? Just frustrating.

Can still get it done in the second half. I'm not watching the game, so I don't know if Fox has already tried this, but if not, why not go to a four-guard line-up? If we aren't getting anything from the bigs, let's do what Missouri has done and go small.

I watched the UGA-Notre Dame game and I have to say that Georgia looked a whole lot better than the game against Cal.

It wasn't the fact that UGA won. It's always great to get the W, and at the end of the season our record of wins and losses is what counts. But the thing that impressed me the most was that Georgia competed. We hustled on defense, fought through screens, and rebounded the basketball.

For the most part, we ran the offense. I do not like the fact that we shoot so many three-pointers. If you live by the three, you die by the three, says the basketball cliche. We have to get some shots going toward the basket, have to feed the post, and have to get to the free throw line. When half of a team's shots are from behind the arc, the offensive players are probably not working hard enough.

But if we shoot from behind the arc as part of our offensive execution, then that's much better than just jacking it up without making the defense tired. Besides, we were actually hitting the threes at a pretty good clip.

UGA is 4 and 1 on the young season, which is a good result. Let's hope the team continues to play hard as we get ready for the SEC portion of the schedule.

Monday, November 21, 2011

We probably would have lost by 40 points if California hadn't liberally substituted in the second half. Even against Cal's bench-riders, UGA looked awful.

As it stood, we lost by 24 points on a neutral court on national t.v. They shot over 50 percent from the floor, over 50 percent from behind the arc and shot almost 80 percent from the line. Georgia shot 33 percent from the floor, did terribly from long-range and shot 57 percent from the free-throw line.

Cal didn't even have a dominant front-line. Their post players were by and large non-athletic. They were fundamentally sound, but there wasn't a big body in the midst. No high-flyers either, for that matter. This was a team against which we should have been able to battle to the finish.

I don't understand our recruitment philosophy. Other than Gerald Robinson, our guards don't seem to be able to drive the ball. And our post players do not look skilled with the ball at all. We really needed a dominant post for 2011 and we didn't get one. Here's hoping we get a surprise like Tony Parker for 2012, but things look really dim.

Have no explanation for why we start our offense so high up. It makes sense if you're creating space for Trey Thompkins or Travis Leslie, but if we don't have those kinds of guys, we need to adjust our execution. We're still hoisting up way too many three-pointers. Over a third of our shots tonight were from behind the arc, and when you're shooting only 20 percent from deep, you ought to run the offense.

As I indicated previously, we're going to struggle this year. I wanted to rationalize it and say that we just had a bad night, but I had to be honest with myself. I wouldn't mind it so much if I saw an apparent way to turn things around (Nick Marshall will help if we can get him on the court after football season is over, but he won't help us in the post). As far as I can tell, we'll probably struggle next year, too. Oh well.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Chris Conley has played his way from potential red-shirt to budding star. For a freshman, the guy has had a terrific year. If we get by Kentucky, we'll definitely need Conley and the other receivers to have a big game in the Georgia Dome.

Tebow always seemed to find a way to beat us. We won that one year, can't remember which, but Tebow and UF came back the next year to beat us. Hit pinpoint passes, ran through our defense.

Maddening.

Now the guy is thankfully in the NFL, and I am a big supporter. Love to see a guy play football, speak intelligently afterwards, give credit to his offensive line and even opposing defenders, and give Jesus the glory.

Part of the reason that I root for Tebow is that so many seem to be rooting against him. I listened to Chris Carter and some of the other analysts in the aftermath of the Detroit game. An opposing player for the Lions mocked Tebow's way of giving honor to God. I wanted the analysts to blast the player for his lack of class, but instead they seemed to figuratively pile on Tebow. And the truth is that Tebow's throws have been off at times, and his mechanics are not those of the prototypical NFL QB. But analysts and fans have to remember-- Tebow is for all practical purposes a rookie quarterback. Played a little bit last year, however, this is his first year knowing that he has the responsibility for making Denver go.

Guy had the deck stacked against him. Came in with his team in last place. Nobody expected much. The Broncos lost their key running backs, including Georgia's Knowshon Moreno. Big-time underdog. With all the injuries, the stark reality was that if Denver was going to win, Tebow would have to make it happen.

Fast-forward to last night. Tebow had to perform against a very solid defense. I checked Yahoo and saw that the score was 10 to 10. I searched and searched for the game, but I don't think it was on any channel I could get. I thought that Tebow might find a way to win it. Sure enough. Somehow he led his team to an amazing fourth quarter finish and last-minute victory.

What to expect for the future? Anybody's guess, really. He may get injured, or the team might go on a losing streak. In any case, I wouldn't bet against him. Seen him win too many times.

And frankly, I want him to keep on winning. His eligibility at Florida is up and I am on the bandwagon.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Think we'll regret not having Mayfield on the squad. Same thing for Daniel Miller. I understand that Coach Fox wanted to recruit his own guys, but Mayfield may turn out to be a pro-potential star athlete as a senior.

Monday, November 14, 2011

We got outrebounded by a huge margin. A better team would have blown us out.

However, there were still a number of positives about the game. We won, and we are now 2 and 0 on the season. We shot well from the free throw line when we needed to.

Marcus Thornton needs some help on his shot. It's too much of a two-handed cast. I think he went 1 for 6 from the foul line. The key is that he was aggressive, and that will only help him get his conditioning and explosiveness back. May take until mid-season, or maybe even next year, but at some point he may be able to put up Trey Thompkins-like numbers.

Very pleased with John Florveus. He runs the floor well and has great hands for a big man. Put some weight on him and he might become the Dawgs' version of Vandy's Festus Ezeli.

Vincent Williams looks like he's more committed to pushing the ball. He has to be ready to help this year.

Caldwell-Pope looked pretty good, too. If he locks his elbow in tight and follows through correctly, he will be a fantastic shooter.

Let's win the CBE tournament and beat Tech. That will be a great start to the season.

Should be a good way to kick off the season for both teams. I expect Vandy to win big, in spite of the fact that they are without Festus Ezeli, their key big man. As I've said before, playing in Vanderbilt's arena is really difficult because of the way their court configuration throws off an opposing player's depth perception. Oregon hasn't competed in Nashville before and Vanderbilt will have a huge home-court advantage.

At any rate, Vandy will be really good this year. The Commodores have just missed picking up a few victories in football. Won't be the case in hoops. They will spank some teams.

Oregon has a chance, since Tony Woods, the former UGA recruit, is eligible after sitting out as a transfer from Wake Forest. Jeremy Jacob says he's healthy. Hopefully, he can avoid serious knee problems this year. In the end, though, I expect that John Jenkins, Jeff Taylor and the rest of the Vandy cast should be able to run their motion offense and win by 10 to 15 points.

This post began as a response to SSB Charley, to address his comments on my post about Robert Carter going to Tech. I decided to make it a separate post because I wanted to think about recruiting some more and ask a couple more general questions of the Blog's readership.

Let me first say to Charley: I agree that it is disappointing to not get a key guy like Carter. And it does look like we won't get any of the big-time post recruits in this class.

My question of Charley and to UGA hoops fans in general is why can we get a "dream team" in football and not be able to do the same in basketball? I know that basketball has fewer scholarships. I understand that. But if there are three or four high-level recruits in the state, all of which we go after, why can't we ink two or three of them?

Is it the AAU system? Is everybody cheating but us?

I know that when Fox was hired, he brought in out-of-state guys as assistants. My sense at the time was that as long as they were good recruiters, they could get it done once they started to develop relationships.

In fairness to Fox, Georgia has never had a whole lot of success in basketball recruiting, so we don't have much in the way of tradition. It's always hard to recruit after the former coach gets fired.

Based on all that, I would say UGA is doing okay, but certainly not great. Right now Fox and his team have brought in as part of the yearly classes, the following:

Said another way, in 4 classes we garnered 12 signees, who were given a total of 35 stars according to Rivals.com. That's 2.7 stars per recruit. In those 4 classes and 12 recruits, only one signee was above 3-stars. I admit that the Rivals system is not perfect, and you never know how a guy will perform. But it still begs the question, how does the new Tech coach, coming in from out-of-state, get a 5-star, a 4-star and a 3-star in his first class? The 14th ranked recruiting class in the country and an average of 4 stars per recruit?

My hope is that even without getting the elite in-state guys, Georgia will still out-perform the more highly-ranked Tech guys on the court. Always seems to happen. If Fox can coach'em up, we should still be competitive out there on the court. My concern is not so much with Tech, but instead with SEC foes, Kentucky, Florida, Vandy and others.

In the meantime, if Fox does hire a new assistant (as SSB Charley suggests) who should it be? I have no idea, but some of the guys who follow high school sports more closely might know. Is there any hope that one of the committed but unsigned recruits from the class of 2012 will reverse their commitment and come to UGA anyway? Any transfers on the horizon? Does the 2013 class look okay, and if so, how many scholarships are we reasonably projected to have?

Robert Carter was a difference-maker and we didn't get him. I'm frustrated. If we can't get a dream team, can we catch a break in recruiting?

Things don't look good right now for Thomas Davis to stay in the NFL. With three serious knee injuries, his future football prospects are not bright. But Davis, a former safety with UGA, rehabs as hard as he used to hit.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

It's hard to lose out to Tech, and I had hoped that the 5-star prospects in the state were going to start coming to Athens. The new Tech coach has only been in place for some months now and he still out-performs us on the recruiting trail.

It really could happen. Why would he go to Tech and not know the coaching style and whether he will be getting lots of touches? With Fox, Carter knows that he would have the ability to showcase his scoring ability from the high and low posts. We don't have a real scorer at that position, so Carter would be stepping in at just the right time.

Shucks. I feel that the smart move is UGA and so I'm looking forward to the 5:00 announcement. Go Dawgs!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Sorry to say this, and I know it was an exhibition game, but that was awful basketball.

Gerald Robinson looked really solid. Dustin Ware will give us the outside shot and protect the basketball. But other than that, I didn't see much reason for optimism. Check that-- we played decent defense and shot well from the stripe.

My biggest concern is that UGA cannot score from the post. That makes the team a lot worse than last year. In the meantime, Vandy is stronger, Kentucky is stronger and Florida is stronger. Alabama will be much better. Even Auburn has upgraded their talent. Not happy that the latter two teams have recently recruited well in the state of Georgia (hauling in Nick Jacobs and Shaq Johnson, respectively).

Kentavious Caldwell can handle the ball and is a pretty good defender. However, it appears that he has some issues with his shot, which I see as a right-angled over-spin on his release. Hopefully, Fox can get that fixed. KCP went 2 of 9 from the field in the Morehouse game, if memory serves me.

Djurisic can shoot the ball. He has very little lift, though, and does not appear to be able to drive to either side. Teams will body him up and limit his chances to shoot the three.

Thornton still looks weak. Unfortunate. Donte Williams has some springs. The starting five of Ware, Robinson, Brantley, Djurisic and Florveus was a surprise to me.

Maybe a couple of the football players will help out. We have a decent squad, but we're a far shot away from being elite like the other teams in the SEC. We're going to struggle big-time this year.

We'll see how this looks. My concern is that the SEC teams against which the Dawgs will compete have very talented guards, and for the experience we have, we don't have much in the way of back-court depth.

It was encouraging to read that Fox thinks Cannon and Florveus have some potential to help in the front court. I have no idea what the Dawgs have in those guys. I think Florveus can give us minutes on the defensive end, but I'm really not expecting much from Cannon, Dixon and the other post. Would love to be wrong, though.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Very interesting article by ESPN. In case the link ever stops working, ESPN discusses the notion that Eric Dickerson had a better year than Herschel the year that Walker won the Heisman. Had Craig James not gone to SMU, Dickerson would have amassed more carries and likely achieved more touchdowns and total yards than Walker. As it was, Dickerson and Craig James both attended SMU, leading to the two tailbacks sharing carries as part of the "Pony Express" attack.

Craig James signed after Dickerson, but went to SMU anyway since his girlfriend was going to the school.

Friday, October 14, 2011

My take is that if Donte Williams and Marcus Thornton play well, Georgia will have a chance. Williams has good fundamentals and just has to get more playing time. Picking up over twenty pounds will help. Thornton has to get his feet underneath him and recover the leaping ability he had in high school. He'll have to push himself to play hard all the time.

Certainly good news that Coach Fox thinks that John Florveus has the skill set to play SEC basketball.

Vincent Williams and Dustin Ware have increased their vertical jump. Not sure how much playing time Vincent will get. Dustin Ware needs to drive the ball and get fouled. In order for the team to play at its best, he needs to put some pressure on the defense.

Starting line-up come November 4 will probably be Ware, Robinson, Pope, Thornton and Williams. Florveus should be the first front line sub and Sherrard should be the designated shooter off the bench.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

start to finish. Poorly called. Poorly defended. What happened to the pressure on the quarterback? We didn't beat either one of their tackles all night.

Speaking of offensive tackles, can we put Figgins at right tackle? If he's 279, why don't we let him play over there? You don't need bulk at the position, but rather someone who can use leverage to move folks. If we can't do that, then put Lynch over there.

One other note: The one interception we had, one of their guys was running wide open up the left sideline. More of a mistake by Boise, rather than good defense by UGA.

Still mystified at the lack of creativity on offense. No boot legs, no roll-outs.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

We at least showed some fight. Haven't given up, although we only have 6 minutes to go. They got another first down on a toss sweep. Their guy was holding, but the ref didn't see it. We need to shut them down. Can't let them run it up the gut for 8 yards like in the last series.

They did an end around. With the exception of the one gift off-sides penalty they gave us, they have had next to no penalties. We started the game shooting ourselves in the foot, and we have yet to holster the pistol.

Now they run a toss sweep, overload one side of the line and we failed to adjust.

Like I said. Awful. We could play these guys ten times and lose every single time.

Get rid of the uniforms. Not sure about the offensive and defensive coordinators. I think we went into our slide when Richt gave up the offensive coordinator position.

They have outplayed us at the line of scrimmage. No excuse for not picking up the 4th and 1.

The good news is that Crowell has some pop. He has moves. Can't block, but he has moves.

The difference to me is scheme. They have an offensive coordinator that utilizes bunch formations, quarterback options and other concepts to offset Georgia's size advantage. I've never been too thrilled with using just the pro set and those types of formations. The teams like Florida that use the spread are eating our lunch. Even worse news: Georgia Tech's quarterback can throw. They may beat us this year.

If you look at our performance this game, running up the middle is not working. We need to test them on the edges. The one time we did, we scored a touchdown. I don't mind losing to a #5 team. What bothers me is looking totally inept while doing so.

Boise State also has a nice kicking game. We can't win if they start on the 50 and we start on our own 15.

Keeping this game close will be tough for Mark Richt. Best I can tell, Boise State wins by 21.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

I've been so busy with work and other commitments, I had to put the Blog aside for a while. Not abandon it. Just take a break.

I knew that I would get back to my hobby at some point...

Still extremely busy, but this morning as I checked my e-mail, I saw a message from an old friend. In honor of the 4th and for our men in uniform and their families, I wanted to share what he sent me with you.

Monday, March 21, 2011

The fans are unhappy. So is the team. Apparently Tobias Harris and his Dad have no interest in a rebuilding year under a new coach. Harris is good enough to go pro, but if he were looking to continue his collegiate experience, UGA could accommodate, I'm sure. :-) In fact, we're so gracious about helping a team out in its time of need, we'll also take Hopson.

At first, I wasn't favorably impressed since Djurisic is a 3-star, and I didn't note any particular speed or leaping ability. I like for bigs to work from the inside out, instead of floating around the perimeter, and there seemed to be too much of that in Djurisic's game.

But I admit that I don't know anything else about him, and Djurisic could be just the kind of guy that we need. I don't think that Fox would spend a scholarship just to have a complete roster.

Apparently N.C. State wants to talk to Mark Fox. If I'm Fox, I listen. Why? State can pay a lot more than UGA, and to be honest, that's why coaches have agents. The coaches can offer up polite denials, saying that they haven't spoken with anyone from such and such college, while they and their representatives are discussing details several times a day. The rep's try to get things lined up so that if the offer does have the kinds of terms that an up and coming coach wants, the coach can sign quickly.

2) Will Trey and Travis Test the Waters?

My best guess is that Trey is gone, but Travis will stay. Thompkins ended the season with a 26 and 9 game, in which he shot almost 80 percent from the floor, 100 percent from behind the arc, and 100 percent from the free throw line. He also showed that he had great hands and could even bring the ball up against the press.

With the injuries that Thompkins suffered this year, he might want to protect himself and his family. Travis, on the other hand, went 4 of 14 from the floor against Washington. If I'm not mistaken, all of his made shots were right at the basket, and he didn't hit a single jump-shot. He has enough to work on that the smart money says that he will take one more year to improve his handle and his mid-range game.

Of course my guesses about Trey and Travis assume that Fox stays in Athens and that the NBA season ends and begins as normal. The League's collective bargaining agreement ends in June. If things break down, then the best thing to do might be for both to stay for their senior seasons.

3) Can John Florveus and Tim Dixon Play?

Hate to say this, but from all I can tell, both will need a lot of work before they're big enough and strong enough to score consistently against SEC competition.

4) Who Will Man the Post?

If Trey leaves, Georgia will have a big void in the middle. With no JP, no Chris Barnes and no Thompkins, Georgia may wind up with the Bermuda Triangle Offense. If you throw the ball into the post, no one knows what will happen.

5) What's up with Recruiting?

Will Phillip Jurick sign? Anyone else? Who is this guy from Montenegro, and is he really better than the available kids from right here in Georgia?

6) Can Georgia Attract a Transfer?

If Sidney Lowe and Bruce Pearl are let go, Georgia may be able to pick up a guy like Marcus Thornton. Either a guy who decommits and asks for his release from the letter of intent, or a person who wants to find a new place to play, even if he has to sit out a year.

7) Will Georgia be Good Enough to Escape the Lower Half of the SEC East?

Florida and Kentucky are in the Sweet Sixteen again. Georgia, again, is not. They will have a deep bench next year. Vandy will be good again and so will Tennessee. I know it's early yet, but we all hope that we can close the gap some between those guys and Georgia.

8) Can Thornton and Williams Step Up?

Marcus Thornton and Donte Williams will be the only post players with any experience. They both did quite well in high school, and they have a good bit of athleticism. They'll have to show it next year.

9) How well will Kentavious Caldwell Play?

He'll be a freshman, and he'll have to learn the triangle offense. But can Caldwell-Pope give Georgia the kind of size and shooting ability that the team needs?

10) Will 2012 be a Year of Stability and Steady Improvement, or Transition and Rebuilding for the Dawgs?

Okay. So things didn't go as well as we hoped. Still, the team won over 20 games and made it to the Tournament.

The guys all acquitted themselves well. They competed and were in just about every game. We didn't finish games with a lot of energy. There were a few at the beginning of the season that we closed out fairly well. But by the time of the SEC season, our late-game magic disappeared.

Our last game, the NCAA Tournament contest against Washington, ended up just like so many other games this season-- We would have won if we could have gotten a couple more stops and scored one or two more baskets at the end. After playing well in the first stanza, we fizzled in the second and lost by single digits.

All in all, though, I'm fairly pleased. Before you can be great, you have to be good. Before you can be good, you have to be competitive. The Dawgs had a good season and I wanted to congratulate the entire team, and especially the seniors.

Friday, March 11, 2011

However, the fact that we lost to Bama means that they took one of the available slots. We didn't have much margin for error, and we about used up all we had. If we had lost to Auburn, we would have been out. As it stands, we may just be the one of the last four in.

Wherever we play, let's make the best of this year. We have Thompkins and Leslie, Barnes and Price. They have represented us well.

Unless there is a lockout, I expect all of them to be gone by next fall. The turnover means that we'll be a lot weaker in the post. I had hoped that we would have gotten Nick Jacobs. He would've helped a bunch.

At any rate, there's still a lot of basketball to be played, so let's support them as far as they can go.

The New Jersey Nets are set to play the Toronto Raptors in London tonight. Their newest player appears to be ready to compete.

Perhaps his grin is from remembering the last time he saw Anthony Morrow and Georgia Tech, when Yada went 6 of 8 from the floor and 2 for 3 from deep, while corralling 6 rebounds and distributing 5 assists to lead the Dawgs to a 79 to 72 victory.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Sure, he'll need to gain some weight. Sure, he needs to balance his game some. But Kentavious already has the key qualities that have Dawg fans legitimately excited about what he'll bring to the table next year.

He's a big guard. Haven't had a really strong contributor at the two-guard position in forever.

Great shooter. He can ring it up from deep.

Willing defender. Most of the attention is paid to his offensive game, but he is showing pride in playing defense.

Capable ball-handler. He plays some at the point in AAU games. We'll have to see if he really can help bring the ball up the floor against Division 1 defenders, and also whether he can incorporate the creation off the dribble mid-range game. If so, Fox will just about have to start him.

Hops. When he first signed, I was not aware of his athleticism. Much more than I thought. Give him time in strength and conditioning, and Georgia will really have something.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Up 9 points, about to close out the half, and they get a rebound and a stick-back to give them momentum going into the locker room.

We're still up 7 opening up the second half. We get careless with the ball and they close the gap almost immediately.

They mix in a press off of made free throws or pressure Dustin Ware all the way up the floor. We don't set any picks to discourage the tough on-ball pressure and Ware turns it over on an offensive foul. Meanwhile, we play vanilla on defense. No pressure, just let them come down the floor and set up their offense. Their guys have their legs underneath them, then, and are able to knock down shots late in the game.

Parsons misses two free throws with the game going down to the wire. The Dawgs get fouled in the act of shooting and go to the line. Thompkins misses both, and then just a bit later, their big guy gets fouled. With the ugliest release on the planet, he drains both of his attempts.

Can't blame Leslie. He had 20 points for the night. Let the game come to him. Good outing. We need to get more than 3 points from Ware. He needs to have at least one mid-range shot or free throw so that he gets his timing right from long distance.

Tired of getting beat by Florida. Even worse, we really, really, need to close strong, or we'll miss the Big Dance.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Hugh Durham will be honored as an ACC Legend during this year's ACC Tournament.

Durham will share the spotlight with Len Elmore (Maryland), Thurl Bailey (N.C. State), John Salley (Ga. Tech) and others. The ACC Tournament will take place from March 10th through the 13th in Greensboro, N.C.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Ugly game. We had 17 turnovers, shot 60 percent from the free throw line and almost let the last place team in the SEC East beat us after they only scored 9 points in the first half.

We looked like a championship team in the first half. More like a rec team in the second.

I don't like the poor decisions with the ball. Sherrard Brantley needs to learn to fake one way with the basketball and then pass it.

Jeremy Price hit two clutch free throws late. Gerald Robinson had a chance to ice it from the foul line, but didn't quite get it done, hitting 1 of 2. We got a couple of good rebounds from Marcus Thornton. Still doesn't have his legs underneath him, but that will come back with time.

The good news is that no one will care how we won at the end of the season, but just that we won. We needed a win and we got it.

The Dawgs are now in second place in the SEC East. Tied with Vandy, both teams having a 6 and 4 record. Florida has an almost insurmountable 2 1/2 game lead at 9 and 2.

South Carolina is in last place at 4 and 6. Next to last is UT and Kentucky. How about that?

While it's true that our team has had its fair share of troubles, and players have gotten sick-- the fact is that these kinds of things happen during a long season. It's winter and we can't avoid having to play through adverse circumstances.

As we go into the stretch, we're playing a tough South Carolina team at home today. The loser will be in last place in the SEC East.

We just about have to win this game. Can we do it?

I'm not feeling too good about our chances. Horn will have his guys trapping all over the floor. They arguably have a deeper team than we do.

If we can't pull out a win, team supporters will have to face facts. Maybe our players were over-rated going into the season. Perhaps our expectations have been too high. Maybe we're just not that good.

Monday, February 7, 2011

UK has a tough road ahead playing against Tennessee and Vandy. Either one of those teams could go into Rupp and pull out a win. The issue is that Kentucky does not have a big-time presence in the post. No Patrick Patterson. DeMarcus Cousins is gone. As a result, the team is decent, but definitely not great.

Georgia, on the other hand, has post scoring. If Gerald Robinson gets hot again, we're tough to beat. Hate to jinx us, but this team reminds me of the championship-winning squads that Florida had, with Horford, Brewer and Noah. Not as athletic and not as good defensively, but with balanced scoring and a good mix of bigs and shooters.

In fact, but for Florida's long-distance three at the end of regulation, Georgia would be in first place in the East.

As for Alabama, I don't know what Anthony Grant told his kids, but they have shocked me. Grant's players have bought into the defense-first game plan, and they're shutting other teams down. I did not expect to see them at the top of the SEC-- at least not so soon. I knew they would be good when Nick Jacobs arrives, but they are ahead of the curve at 7 and 1 on the year.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Jeremy Price had a career night against Auburn. He matched his all-time scoring total with 22 points, and he shot 10 of 13 from the line. I'm pretty sure that's a first.

JP also finished with 14 boards. Absolutely huge, and Georgia needed all of his output in the overtime win.

I'll probably post a recap of the game later. However, in the meantime, I thought it appropriate to speculate-- Did Jarmal Reid watch the game?

Reid is one of the top recruits in the country and he is on high on UGA's wish list for 2012. You have to think that Reid cheers for his brother, Jeremy, and by extension, the Dawgs, night after night. That kind of connection could be the difference in Reid's recruitment.

I recently saw the article below about Jarmal's performance at the Prime-Time Shootout. He apparently had a great game, scoring from inside and out. After JP's outing yesterday, I thought that now was a good time to post the article.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

I think the Dawgs win by double digits, assuming we don't get into a "small ball" game with them. If we successfully play to our strengths in the post, it should be a fairly easy victory.

I should note that we'd better get these guys while they're down. Auburn has some talented big guys coming in next year. If you put their new post players with the developing players on the outside, then Auburn could have something.

But as for now, I hope that this game gives us the opportunity to get the bench more minutes. Thornton seems to be rounding into shape with his rebounding and blocked shots. If he gets his "ups" back, then he can definitely help later in the year.

Vincent Williams has looked better. He'll never be 6' 5", but even with his small stature he can give us quality minutes if Dustin Ware or Gerald Robinson get into foul trouble. Vincent's jump-shot looks to be true. He needs the confidence built from extended playing time for him to consistently hit the pick and pop shots and the floaters toward the rim.

I'd like to see Travis Leslie get his swagger back today. Maybe we can break from the triangle offense some and try to isolate him on the block.

One of the keys for Travis is to not jump with the ball until he is near the basket. It seems that with all of his leaping ability he has picked up the habit of taking a couple of dribbles, jumping and then deciding what to do with the ball. It's leading to him shooting the ball on the way down, which negates most of his athletic advantage. And when he confronts a player tall enough to contest his shot, then he tries to make a pass before he hits the ground, and opposing players keep their hands up and steal the pass.

If we pick up the W expected from playing the last place team in the league at the Steg, then Georgia may be able to build some momentum going into the rest of the SEC schedule. Either Florida or Kentucky will have an additional L stemming from their contest tonight, and maybe Alabama can knock off Tennessee, which would put Georgia back into the thick of things in the SEC East.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

I guess it was our time to win a close one. We started out as if we were still stuck outside in the snow.

A few huge threes-- one each by Travis, Dustin and Trey, and we were able to get out of Arkansas with the W.

I thought that Jeremy Price was very important in the game. He didn't have his best shooting night, but he hit a few key baskets and led the team with 7 rebounds.

Gerald Robinson had just 1 assist with 4 turnovers. He did, however, contribute in other ways. He played solid defense on Rotnei Clarke and held him to just 3 buckets. Gerald also shot 7 of 13 from the floor.

Dustin Ware had 9 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds and no turnovers.

Don't know what's up with Travis. He did okay, but he seems to be very tentative these days. Went 3 of 9 tonight.

It's a win and I'll take it, especially considering that it was an away game.

Robinson definitely is the x-factor. With Dustin Ware, Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, we pretty much know what we're going to get. However, Robinson is more of a mystery. Not solely because of the fact that he didn't play well against Florida, but more because we haven't seen him on the court as much-- only six SEC games in which to evaluate him.

I'll tell you this: if his jumper is on, and we've seen glimpses of it this season, Robinson could go off on some team for 30 points one of these days.

Gerald had 17 against UK at the Steg'. He scored 22 against Mississippi, going 3 of 3 from behind the arc and 5 of 5 from the line. He had 20 against Vandy. Playing for Tennessee State in 2008, Robinson scored 25 points in Rupp arena. He went 7 of 16 shooting, 3 of 6 from deep, and 8 of 8 from the free throw line.

I remember when UGA was recruiting Thomas Robinson. He was a senior the same year that Dustin Ware came out, if memory serves me. At any rate, we had a real shot at him, I thought. But that was before he blew up on the AAU circuit and attracted the attention of teams like Kansas.

I spotted the attached article that chronicles the tragedy that has struck in Robinson's life.

Just in case the article becomes no longer available at some point, the story explains that Robinson's mother died suddenly of an apparent heart attack, and now the young man and his 7-year old sister (I think she's 7 and not 9) have to figure out how to manage.

Seems like the NCAA has really stepped up to the plate, here, allowing Kansas to foot the bill for taking the team to Maryland to show support for Thomas and his little sister. I hope that they will continue to do the right thing, and allow his sister to move to Kansas if that is the best thing for her. The best might be for her to stay in the D.C. area where she has some support, but the fact remains that the only adult that she is close to at this point is her big brother.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Well, like I said, Florida has pretty much owned us. Even worse, they are 5 and 1 in the SEC. Hard to catch up when your next game is at Kentucky and we still have to go down to Gainesville and over to Tennessee.

We're 3 and 3, and we just have to hope that the other guys take Florida down a notch to have any chance of winning the East. The East is so tough that we could be a pretty good team and end up in last place.

Hat's off to Donovan. He defended the triangle about as well as anyone I've seen. His wrinkle? Not playing Jeremy Price in the high-low offense. Price didn't even look to take a couple of bounces toward the basket for the 12-footer. He played a great game on the low block, but he just has to be more aggressive if he catches the ball up by the free throw line.

Maybe later in the year after Thornton gets healthy, we can put him at the top of the triangle and see what he can do.

Proud of our guys for fighting back, but way too many careless turnovers and missed free throws.

Yep. Ware is definitely in a different place this year. Teams used to be able to beat him up all game, muscle him all the way down the floor, every time Georgia brought the ball up the court.

Ricky McPhee was a great spot-up shooter and a non-stop hustler on defense. I wish he were still around to help us keep zones honest. But McPhee was not a particularly effective ball-handler.

With the addition of Gerald Robinson, Georgia has a potent back-court. Ware can spot up for the long-range shots, about like McPhee did last year. The difference is that both Ware and Robinson can bring the ball up the floor. Now when teams try to press UGA, the off-guard can receive the pass and speed the ball toward the basket.

Even better, Gerald is a player that can create his own shot off the dribble. Georgia has needed the very same capabilities several times at the end of the shot clock or as the final seconds of the game were ticking down. As in the Tech game, Robinson can use his speed to go to the hoop, while Ware gets open on the wing.

Maybe Florida will go zone tonight and Dustin can get going from outside.

We'll have to watch out for their traps. Billy Donovan always tries to neutralize the opponent by trapping along the sidelines or in the backcourt. Will Gerald Robinson be able to make them pay? Will his jumper be on tonight?

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Dustin Ware came to UGA at least in part to fill the legacy of his half-brother, Stacy Ware. Stacy was a student at UGA who died of meningitis the week that his new half-brother, Dustin, was born.

I am so proud of how Dustin is doing. I still want him to drive the ball every now and then, but the team does not function nearly as well when he's not out there. He pushed the ball time and time again against MSU and it led to easy buckets for the Dawgs.

Let me say first of all that I love ESPN3. I missed today's game, but I was able to watch the entire contest just a couple of hours later. I purposefully did not check the score, so when I sat down to watch the game on my computer, it was almost like watching it live. The network is not perfect, but it's pretty close.

Which leads me to the real point of my post. The Dawgs were very impressive today. Not perfect, but almost.

Travis Leslie displayed his usual acrobatics. He finished the game with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, with just one turnover. He was also 1 for 1 from behind the arc, which is a very encouraging sign. Dustin Ware was controlled and poised. He scored 9 points with 4 rebounds and 6 assists. A perfect 3 of 3 from the field, all from 3-point range, and zero turnovers.

We got enough from Barnes and Price. Trey Thompkins was effective from the perimeter and on the block, going 6 of 11 from the field, 2 of 3 from behind the arc, for 15 points and 7 rebounds. And Gerald Robinson showed great speed on offense and defense. He had 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He also notched 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Robinson was my player of the game.

We even got a few contributions from Thornton off the bench. Congratulations are due him for getting 7 points and 9 rebounds, 4 on the offensive glass.

From an overall team perspective, we beat MSU by 20, doubled them up in rebounds, and had almost three times as many assists. UGA posted four players in double figures, two others who scored 9 points a piece, and one guy who had 7.

On defense, we took them out of what they wanted to do, and turned them into an isolation offensive team, with others trying to spot up for long three's.

Great total team effort. If I had to complain about something, I would point to free throws and turnovers. We went 11 for 21 from the charity stripe. Fifty percent free throw shooting will get us beat.

We had 13 turnovers. Not a huge number, but of those, Chris Barnes had 3, Jeremy Price 2, and Thompkins 4. We need for our big men in the high-low action to fake the ball once in the opposite direction and then feed the post. As it stands, they telegraph their passes, giving the defensive player a chance to anticipate and make an early move to steal or deflect the ball. A former coach used to tell us to "grab the ball with two hands and get your butt down." The point was that with our knees bent and center of balance over our feet, we could make an effective fake or use a bounce or chest pass to get it to the open player.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Sounds like a player to me. Although he's only 5' 8" now, he could grow three or four more inches in the next two years.

Any sophomore who scores 18 points with 9 assists and three steals for an 11 and 1 team ought to be on our radar screen. Add to that the fact that he is an academic work-horse, with a near 4.0 gpa, then that should scream to us that we need to get the recruiting machine going.

Ezeli's performance against Georgia is both good news and bad news for the Dawgs.

It's bad news because Festus is a player. He has rounded into a key contributor for Vandy, and they don't need any help. Their court is help enough. Add to that the fact that they apparently got all the foul calls, then their home court advantage should win them two or three extra games this year.

Ezeli is a physical post player. He'll get rebounds and block shots. Now he has some decent moves around the bucket, too.

The good news is that Georgia is apparently bringing in two Festus Ezeli-type players this year. Tim Dixon is a lanky player that needs to build muscle. He has some shot-blocking skill already. John Florveus is a 7-footer that might just end up anchoring the middle for the Dawgs in future years.

Big men develop slowly. Hopefully, UGA will have enough success in recruiting to allow our incoming post players to bulk up physically and develop their talent.

Zac finished the outing with a double-double of 19 points, 11 assists, and 5 steals. Sounds like Swansey has his stroke back. He went 7 of 14 from the field, 2 of 2 from behind the arc, and 3 of 4 from the free throw line.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Good format for the article about Herschel Walker. Every now and then it's good to be reminded about what an incredible athlete Walker was and is, and how great it was that he suited up in the Red and Black.

He scored 18 points in his first official outing for the Halifax Rainmen of the Premier Basketball League.

Halifax beat the Vermont Frost Heaves by a score of 109 to 99.

Has to be colder up in Canada than in Athens or Tampa, where he played for USF. Mercer is probably fine with the environment, while he tries to work his way to the NBA. He'll have to avoid the serious knee injuries and other issues that slowed his college career.